Artisanal: The Latest Architecture and News

Expo Osaka 2025 officially opened its doors on April 13 in Osaka, Japan. The Philippines' exhibition for this edition opened with a pavilion designed by the Filipino-led architectural firm Carlo Calma Consultancy Inc., in partnership with Japanese executive architect Cat Inc., who also handled project management. Titled "Woven," the pavilion reflects the country's connections to nature, its cultural heritage, and its community values. With the theme "Nature, Culture & Community: Woven Together for a Better Future," the pavilion aims to highlight the Philippines' creativity, diversity, and aspirations for sustainable development while inviting visitors to engage with its cultural and environmental priorities.

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The Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) has announced the winner of the fifth MCHAP.emerge award: the Community Production Center Las Tejedoras in Guayas, Ecuador, designed by Natura Futura architect José Fernando Gómez and architect Juan Carlos Bamba. The project offers a hub for local women artisans, providing them with spaces to learn, create, and showcase their textile creations. The winner announcement was made at the Conference on Critical Practice held at Mies van der Rohe's S. R. Crown Hall, an inaugural event that brought together the four MCHAP.emerge finalists to open up conversations about the future of the architecture profession across the Americas.

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This article was originally published by Common Edge as "In the Era of Artificial Intelligence, Will Architecture Become Artisanal?"

Like food and clothing, buildings are essential. Every building, even the most rudimentary, needs a design to be constructed. Architecture is as central to building as farming is to food, and in this era of rapidly advancing technological change farming may offer us valuable lessons.

At last census count there were 233,000 architects in the United States; the 113,000 who are currently licensed represent a 3% increase from last year. In addition there’s a record number of designers who qualify for licensure: more than 5,000 this year, almost the same number as graduates with professional degrees. There is now 1-architect-for-every-2,900 people in the US. A bumper crop, right?